memory_alphafandomcom-20200223-history
Yesterday's Enterprise (episode)
When the starship Enterprise-C, lost for 22 years, comes through a temporal rift, events are drastically changed, and the Federation is suddenly at war with the Klingons. Summary Worf and Guinan are discussing prune juice and companionship in Ten-Forward, when the ''Enterprise''-D encounters a strange rift in space. Investigating, the crew are unable to confirm exactly what the phenomenon is, but it appears to have a temporal component. Suddenly, a starship emerges from the rift. And everything changes. The ship takes on a harsh, dark look. Worf is gone. So is Troi. And Tasha Yar is once again at tactical. Guinan senses something isn't right. The unknown ship comes to a halt near the Enterprise-D. It is the USS Enterprise... [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-C)|NCC-1701-'C']]. As this changed crew consider how this rendezvous came about, the Enterprise-C sends out a distress call, and Picard and Riker clash over how to deal with the situation. As Riker leaves to beam over to the stricken ship, Ensign Crusher receives a message. Klingon ships are on their way, and Picard orders battle alert. The Enterprise-C is in bad shape. The majority of her crew are casualties, the vessel heavily damaged. Riker and Yar beam over with an away team to find Captain Rachel Garrett at her post, wounded. While Dr. Crusher beams away with her patient, Tasha and Riker discover another survivor, Lt. Richard Castillo, the ship's helmsman. The away team reports back to Picard aboard the Enterprise-D. Riker wants to salvage the ship, but Picard cautions that they can't stay in the area too long. They have nine hours to get the Enterprise-C underway to Starbase 105, or they will be forced to scuttle her. At that moment, Guinan enters the bridge. Seemingly disoriented, she walks up to Picard, claiming that things are "not the way they're supposed to be." In the conference lounge, now disturbingly transformed into a strategic operations centre, Picard questions Guinan's "discovery." Things don't feel "right" to her. The bridge, the crew's uniforms, their attitudes. Picard counters that this is the way it's always been, and asks what else has changed. Families, Guinan says. There should be children on the ship. Picard scoffs at the idea - the Federation is at war. No, Guinan says. Enterprise isn't a ship of war, but of peace. And the only way to restore that truth... is to send the Enterprise-C back. Reeling from this revelation, Picard arrives in Sickbay to meet Captain Garrett, undergoing surgery. Garrett asks where they came from, but Picard deflects it with wanting to know how her ship ended up here. Garrett becomes agitated, and demands to know where she is. Picard tells her that they have travelled 22 years into the future. Garrett wants her crew to be informed, but Picard's concern is if they return back with future knowledge, it could upset the timeline even more than their current position has done. When Garrett tells him of the battle they were engaged in at the time of their "transit," he tells her that history never recorded their stand at Narendra III, a Klingon outpost attacked by Romulan forces. The outpost was destroyed, and twenty years of war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire was the result... Back aboard the Enterprise-C, Castillo struggles with the news that he is twenty years out of time, as Yar works to bring the weapons systems up to spec, and attempt to rationalise the situation. According to Yar, the war has resulted in extensive casualties for Starfleet, over half the fleet lost. Castillo remarks that negotiations for a peace treaty were well underway when the Enterprise left on her mission. Yar says there have been a lot of changes. Castillo suggests she fill him in on them. Data reports that if the Enterprise-C were to return through the rift, she would emerge in the midst of battle. With no chance of survival. Yar and Castillo report to Captain Garrett, still in the Enterprise-D's sickbay, on the current repair situation. When Yar reports the incoming Klingon threat, Garrett tries to leave, clashing with Crusher as she does so. Guinan once again comes to Picard in the war room. Picard can't let them return. Guinan states he must. With anger, Picard asks who decides which timeline is the right one? Guinan says her. That isn't good enough for Picard. He will not allow one hundred and twenty-five people to sacrifice their lives on her "feeling." Forty billion people have already been lost in this war, Guinan snaps back. A war that isn't and shouldn't be happening. She repeats that the only way to save those billions is to sacrifice that small group of people. But there is no guarantee of success, and everything Picard is tells him that the idea is wrong, dangerous and futile. Guinan can't fight Picard's logic, but simply asks him to trust her. Guinan then returns to Ten-Forward, where she runs into Tasha and Castillo, discussing improvements to the deflector system. There is a brief, awkward conversation between the two, Tasha aware that something is wrong, before Guinan goes to get their order. Tasha and Castillo's conversation begins to head towards more personal territory, Castillo asking her to call him Richard, before they are interrupted by a call from Picard. Heading out, Tasha and Guinan share another uncomfortable moment. Picard briefs the senior officers on his decision. There is a great deal of confusion and disagreement, Riker in particular speaking out against the plan to return the Enterprise-C, considering it a meaningless death. However, Data points out that to the Klingons, it would be an honorable death, possibly even preventing the war, Picard points out. Preoccupied by a comment made by Geordi as they depart the ready room, Tasha joins Data in a turbolift, where he makes the point that if history is restored, no memory of the altered timeline will exist for those within it. This disturbs Tasha even more. As the crew of the Enterprise-C continue repairs, Garrett and Picard discuss possibilities for the ship either staying or returning, and Guinan's accuracy. Picard trusts her judgement. Garrett knows there is no chance for survival, and suggests the Enterprise-D return with them, but she knows it is an empty suggestion. Many of the Enterprise-C's crew want to return, but Garrett is resigned to staying in 2366 to help the war effort. Picard, however, reveals a disturbing fact: the Federation is losing the war. One starship can make no impact in the present... but twenty-two years ago, one ship could stop the war before it starts. Garrett tells Castillo to inform the crew they will return to their own time. She promises Picard history will remember their actions. As Picard beams back to the Enterprise-D, Yar and Castillo say their goodbyes. They are interrupted by an attack from a Klingon Bird-of-Prey, on a scouting mission. Despite fire from the Enterprise-D, the Bird-of-Prey scores some crucial hits on the Enterprise-C. As the Bird-of-Prey disappears under cloak, Picard hails Garrett... only to hear Tasha reporting her death... Castillo is prepared to lead the Enterprise-C back to their own time, and time has now become a factor. The temporal rift is destabilising, and more Klingon ships are likely on their way. Picard gives his assent. The Enterprise-D will cover her predecessor's retreat. Tasha and Castillo share yet another goodbye, and a tender kiss, as he beams back to the Enterprise-C. From there, Tasha goes to Ten Forward, to confront Guinan about her fate in the other timeline. Guinan reveals that Tasha is supposed to be dead, killed without reason or purpose (see TNG: "Skin of Evil"). Resolved, Tasha head to Picard, to request a transfer to the Enterprise-C, in need of a tactical officer. Picard is disturbed that Guinan felt it necessary to give Tasha that information, but Tasha responds that she wanted to know. She wants a chance to help the Enterprise-C restore history, and die for something worth dying for. Picard considers, and allows the transfer. Aboard the Enterprise-C, Castillo is making final preparations for departure, as Tasha reports for duty. First seeing it as a joke, Castillo then tells her he doesn't want her aboard, but Tasha knows she is the best person for the job. Castillo agrees, and orders her to take her station... Three Klingon cruisers are enroute to intercept the two Enterprise''s. Riker is surprised at their audacity, approaching uncloaked, noting that at Archer IV (seemingly a recent battle), the ''Enterprise-D was victorious. Picard nods, and addresses the crew: :"[[Media:The_name_Enterprise.ogg|''Attention all hands. As you know, we could outrun the Klingon vessels. But, we must protect the Enterprise-C until she enters the temporal rift. And we must succeed! Let's make sure that history never forgets... the name... Enterprise]]." The battle begins. The Klingon ships focus all of their firepower on the more powerful ''Galaxy''-class vessel, and the Enterprise-D quickly takes damage, while the Klingon ships take only shield damage. As the Klingon ships attempt to corral the Enterprise-D away from her protectee, Picard and his crew continue to hold them off. Antimatter containment suffers damage, as one of the Klingon ships is eliminated. A small victory however, as the remaining ships knock out the main sensor array, and cause critical damage to the warp core. The shields collapse, and the containment field is failing. As Geordi works to shutdown the warp core, plasma coolant bursts free of the core manifold, and the warp core builds to overload. There are two minutes until the core breaches. Geordi runs back into the clouds of coolant, evacuating his personnel. The Enterprise-C is less than a minute from the rift. Picard orders all remaining power to defensive systems, but the damage has taken out the Enterprise-D's forward phaser banks, and, with another exchange of fire, Riker is killed when part of the tactical console explodes. The Klingons signal for surrender. Picard leaps the tactical rail, and continues to fight on, as the bridge becomes engulfed in flames... The Klingon ships batter away at the now helpless Enterprise-D, as the Enterprise-C flies back through the rift... Picard stands on the bridge, fully restored. The rift is closing, and what appeared to be a ship has now vanished. Worf is back at his proper place, Riker is alive, and the Enterprise prepares to leave for Archer IV. Picard orders a probe left behind to monitor the rift, as Guinan calls up, checking everything is alright. When she receives an affirmative, she smiles, and goes to sit opposite Geordi in Ten Forward. "Geordi, tell me about... Tasha Yar..." Background Information The original premise for this episode involved Sarek and the Guardian of Forever. Michael Piller also wrote the episode, but agreed to be omitted from the credit to meet Writer's Guild rules. Time constraints put paid to a much more gruesome battle sequence, including the decapitation of Wesley Crusher and the electrocution of Data. The only death to survive in the broadcast episode is Riker's. Links and References Special Guest Stars *Denise Crosby as Lieutenant Tasha Yar *Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan Guest Stars *Christopher McDonald as Richard Castillo *Tricia O'Neil as Rachel Garrett References 2344; 2366; alternate timeline; Archer IV; Battle of Narendra III; Richard Castillo; Class-1 probe; Beverly Crusher; Wesley Crusher; [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-C)|USS Enterprise-C]]; [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|USS Enterprise-D]]; Rachel Garrett; Guinan; Kerr loop; Klingons; Klingon Bird-of-Prey; Klingon Empire; K'Vort-class Bird-of-Prey; Narendra; Narendra system; Narendra III; photon torpedo; prune juice; Starbase 105; superstring material; William T. Riker; Romulans; Romulan warbird; Selar; temporal rift; TKL rations; Worf; Tasha Yar.